Toward Intentional Teaching: The Need For Educator Agency
Together We RISE
Tapping Educator Agency to Guide Children’ s Social and Emotional Learning
Sara D. Hooks, Jennifer K. Pett, Janese Daniels, and Nicole Vasanth
Social and emotional development are important aspects of the early childhood years. Children who develop these competencies are more likely to have positive academic experiences beyond preschool as well as positive lifetime outcomes( Alzahrani et al. 2019; NASEM 2024). Promoting and nurturing this developmental domain are key responsibilities for early childhood educators. Children’ s social and emotional learning are impacted through the experiences educators plan, the practices they use, and the ways they model appropriate responses and actions to enhance and support social and emotional growth( Jennings & Greenberg 2009).
Social and emotional learning( SEL) should be an integral part of the preschool curriculum( NASEM 2024). It is the process by which children learn to use their knowledge, attitudes, and skills to develop healthy identities, manage emotions,
44 Young Children
Summer 2026